⚕️ Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 82 ⚕️

What happens when you build a healthcare company with AI at its core from day one?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Samuel Searcy, Co-founder and CEO of ClinTrial Research, a rapidly growing network of clinical trial sites helping pharmaceutical companies bring new therapies to market.

Before building ClinTrial Research, Sam worked across the clinical research industry, launched successful healthcare services businesses, and even served as a North Carolina State Senator. Now, he's applying those lessons to scale an AI-native healthcare company operating across multiple states.

Sam shares how AI is changing the economics of healthcare services, why clinical trials are becoming more specialized and complex, and what founders can learn about fundraising, operational discipline, and scaling in regulated industries.

🔍 What you'll learn:

Whether you're a founder building in healthcare, an operator navigating AI adoption, or an investor evaluating emerging trends, this episode offers practical insights on scaling in one of the world's most regulated industries.

📩 Connect with Samuel Searcy on LinkedIn - https://lnk.ua/ES8z0628K

🎧 Watch it on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, like, subscribe, and leave a comment. How is AI changing the way you build and scale your business?

✍️ Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 81 ✍️

What if the biggest revenue problem in your business isn't winning customers—it's getting paid?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Marty Ringlein, Co-founder & CEO of Agree.com and General Partner at Adventure Fund, to discuss how AI is transforming the entire contract-to-cash process.

Marty shares his journey from building and selling a company to Twitter, serving as a Presidential Innovation Fellow at the White House, investing in companies like Anthropic and SpaceX, and now building Agree.com—a platform designed to automate everything from contracts and invoicing to payments and collections.

🔍 What you'll learn:

🚀 Whether you're a founder, investor, operator, or revenue leader, this conversation offers valuable insights on scaling businesses, monetizing software, and leveraging AI to create operational leverage.

📲 Connect with Marty:

👉 Like, subscribe, and leave a comment:

👮 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 80 👮

What happens when artificial intelligence, biometric data, and human performance come together to support the people who run toward danger?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Sean Bair, Co-founder & CEO of SWORN.ai, to discuss how technology is helping police officers, firefighters, and other first responders better manage stress, improve wellness, and build longer, healthier careers.

Sean shares his journey from a police analyst to a serial entrepreneur, including building a crime analytics platform that was later acquired by LexisNexis. He also explains why he believes AI, wearable technology, and proprietary data are reshaping not only public safety but the future of entrepreneurship itself.

🔍 In this episode, you'll learn:

Whether you're a founder, operator, investor, or simply interested in the future of AI and workforce wellness, this conversation offers valuable insights on technology, leadership, and building businesses that solve meaningful problems.

Connect with Sean

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and COMMENT with your biggest takeaway.

♟️ Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 79 ♟️

What separates businesses that survive from businesses that scale?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with John Smalley, Founder & Managing Partner of J Smalley Group, a multi-company holding group built around a disciplined investment and operating framework focused on long-term growth.

From scaling businesses across wellness, recruiting, environmental science, pest control, and AI infrastructure, John shares the strategic framework he uses to evaluate opportunities, build recession-resistant companies, and create lasting enterprise value.

🔍 In this episode, they cover:

John also shares how his experience inside large organizations shaped the way he builds companies today and why founders should stop chasing trends and focus on fundamentals that compound over time.

📩 Connect with John on LinkedIn - https://lnk.ua/X0yCE2hyu

🎧 Watch now and subscribe for more conversations with private equity leaders, founders, and operators building high-growth companies.

👉 If this episode resonates, leave a comment and share your biggest takeaway.

🌱 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 78 🌱

What if the future of startup funding isn’t about chasing unicorns, but building stronger local economies?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Jeffrey Kaplan, Director of Venture Asheville and CEO of Optimist Ventures, to discuss how venture philanthropy is creating a new capital model for underserved founders and regional businesses.

After Hurricane Helene devastated Asheville’s business community, Jeffrey and his team launched an innovative funding structure combining grants and shared-profit agreements to help entrepreneurs recover, grow, and scale without giving up equity.

This episode dives into:

Whether you’re a founder, investor, operator, or economic development leader, this conversation challenges traditional assumptions about capital, growth, and what success really looks like.

🔗 Connect with Jeffrey Kaplan:

🎧 Listen now on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms.

👉 Like, subscribe, and comment: Should more communities adopt this “anti-unicorn” funding model?

🐾 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 77 🐾

What happens when a founder combines marketplace thinking, AI, and a mission-driven problem worth solving?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Chloe Fabiani, Founder & CEO of Paaw, the platform building the operating system for modern pet ownership.

After launching Paaw in France and expanding into the U.S., Chloe is tackling one of the most fragmented industries in the world: pet adoption and pet care. With over 60,000 adoptions facilitated in the U.S. alone, PAW is leveraging AI, data, and trust to improve pet-owner matching, reduce shelter overcrowding, and reshape how people adopt and care for pets.

🔍 In this episode, they discuss:

📲 Connect with Chloe:

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms.

👉 If you enjoyed this episode:

🛠️ Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 76 🛠️

What if the best way to evaluate a founder isn’t a pitch deck, but working side by side with them?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Mike Ma, Founder & Managing Partner of Sidecut Ventures, to unpack a radically different approach to early-stage investing—one built on execution, coachability, and real-world performance.

Instead of traditional diligence, Mike runs a 30-day “do diligence” process: rolling up his sleeves and working directly with founders before writing a check. The result? Deeper conviction, stronger partnerships, and better outcomes.

This episode is a must-watch for founders, operators, and investors looking to rethink how great companies and great partnerships are built.

🔍 What you’ll learn:

🚀 Whether you're raising capital, deploying it, or scaling a business, this conversation will challenge how you think about early-stage investing.

📩 Connect with Mike Ma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwma/

👉 Like, subscribe, and comment: Would you go through a 30-day diligence process before taking capital?

🩺 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 75 🩺

What if one of the biggest opportunities in healthcare isn’t innovation—but fixing what’s already broken?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Dean Margolis, Co-Founder & CEO of Red Sky Health, to unpack a massive inefficiency hiding in plain sight: healthcare claim denials.

With billions of dollars lost each year due to manual processes and outdated workflows, Dean shares how AI is transforming the way healthcare providers recover revenue—while also diving into his broader lessons from building and scaling multiple startups.

🔍 What you’ll learn:

🚀 Whether you’re a founder, operator, or investor, this episode offers practical insights on building companies, solving real problems, and aligning incentives for growth.

📩 Connect with Dean: [email protected]

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and drop a comment: What’s the biggest operational inefficiency you’ve seen in your industry?

🎬 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 74 🎬

What happens after a successful exit?

For many founders, it’s not retirement—it’s reinvention.

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Jason Kiesel, Co-founder & CEO of Packed House Pictures, to explore what comes after building, scaling, and exiting a company—twice.

Jason shares how he went from GovTech entrepreneur to media founder, why he’s betting on vertical storytelling, and how new content formats are reshaping the economics of entertainment.

This is a conversation about second acts, emerging markets, and what it really means to build again from scratch.

🔍 In this episode, you’ll learn:

🌐 Connect with Jason:

🚀 Whether you're a founder post-exit, an investor tracking new markets, or an operator thinking about your next move—this episode delivers real insight.

👉 Watch now, subscribe, and drop a comment:

🏠 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 73 🏠

What if the future of property management isn’t better software, but software that actually runs your business?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Shahar Goldboim, Co-Founder & CEO of Boom, to unpack how short-term rental businesses are evolving from fragmented, manual operations into fully integrated, AI-driven systems.

Drawing from his experience building and scaling a $150M+ short-term rental platform, Shahar shares why the traditional tech stack is broken and what replaces it.

🔍 What you’ll learn:

🚀 Whether you’re a private equity investor, operator, or founder scaling a portfolio, this episode offers a clear look at where the market is heading and how to stay ahead of it.

📩 Connect with Shahar Goldboim on LinkedIn

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